Automatic record changer phonograph with movable loading support and stack aligning member



May 5, 1953 B, FlSHER 2,637,558

AUTOMATIC RECORD CHANGER PHONOGRAPH WITH MOVABLE LOADING SUPPORT AND STACK ALIGNING MEMBER Filed March 5, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet l FIG.4

INVENTOR. BERNE N. FISHER y 5, 1953 B. N. FISHER 2,537,558 AUTOMATIC RECORD CHANGER PHONOGRAPH WITH MOVABLE LOADING SUPPORT AND STACK ALIGNING MEMBER Filed March 5, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. BERNE N. FISHER y 5, 1953 B. N. FISHER 2,637,558

AUTOMATIC RECORD CHANGER PHONOGRAPH WITH MOVABLE LOADING SUPPORT AND STACK ALIGNING MEMBER Filed March 5, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.9

INVENTOR. B ERNE N. FISHER y 1953 B N FISHER 2,637,558 AUTOMATIC RECORD CHANGER PHONOGRAPH WITH MOVABLE LOADING SUPPORT AND STACK ALIGNING MEMBER Filed March 5, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 BERNE N. FISHER May 5, 1-953 B. N. FISHER 2,637,553

AUTOMATIC RECORD CHANGER PHONOGRAPH WITH MOVABLE LOADING SUPPORT AND STACK ALIGNING MEMBER Filed March 5, 1949 s Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

BERNE N. FISHER Patented May 5, 1953 AUTOMATIC RE GORD CHANGER, PHONO- GRAPH WITH 'MOVABLE LOADING SUP- PORT AND STACK ALIGNING MEMBER Borne N. Fisher, R selle, N. J assignor to General Instrument Corporation, Elizabeth, N. J a corporatjon of New Jersey Application March 5, 1949, Serial No. 79,834

16 Claims.

The present invention relates to a drop autovmatic record changer in which a stack of records is supported above a turntable on a spindle adapted to engage the stack of records at their central apertures, and in particular to such a record changer in which means including a movable loading support and a stack aligning member are provided to facilitate the loading and retaining of the records on said spindle,

Record changers of the general type under discussion have in the past assumed a large variety of forms, both as regards support for the records before they are dropped to the turntable and mechanism for causing the records to drop one by one to the turntable. These prior art constructions, while they have achieved their objectives with varying degrees of success, have in general been characterized by a certain complexity of appearance and functioning not at all necessary to the proper achievement of the objectives of such a changer. Means in addition to the spindle are usually provided for supporting the records above the turntable at one or more points about their periphery in order to prevent the lowermost record from dropping to the turntable and to maintain the records in a secure position on the spindle. The mechanism for causing the lowermost record of the stack to drop along the spindle to the turntable has often been associated with such peripheral record supports, but in some embodiments it has been incorpo rated into the spindle itself. However, even when the latter is the case, peripheral record supports have in the past been considered necessary to the record changer. Such peripheral supports, I

.even in their simplest for-ms, have materially added to the expense of manufacture Of the record changer, hav given to it a cluttered a d :rnechanist c appearance gen r ly displ asing to users thereof, and. additldn have interfered with the ease of manipulation of the records, particularly when it is desired to lift the records from the turntable.

I have discovered that an efiective automatic record changer can be produced without employ.-

iug any peripheral supports for the records once they are in stacked position on the spindle above the turntable. The spindle alone supports the stack above the tur t e, and the me hanism for causing the lowermost record of the Sindhi? drop to the turntable is incorporated into the spindle in well known manner. The stack of lmdropped records is retained on the spindle above the turntable in secure position by means of a stack aligning member engageable with the top surface of the uppermost record of the stack.

In order to facilitate loading of the stack of records on the spindle, which loading must necessarily be done before the stack aligning member is engaged with the uppermost record of the stack, I provide a loading support adapted to engage the periphery of the lowermost record of the stack being loaded onto the spindle only when that stack is in the tilted or non-normal position which the stack will assume when the stack aligning member is not active thereupon. Once the stack has been completely placed upon the spindle above the turntable and the stack aligning member is engaged with the top surface of the uppermost record, the stack will assume its normal position out of engagement with the loading support. While I prefer that the normal secure position of the stack be horizontal and employ a straight spindle and horizontal stack aligning member to that end, the normal position of the stack may be at an inclination to the horizontal, which case the loading or non-normal position is differently angularly related to the horizontal. The loading support is so constructed as to permit free lifting of records from the turntable, and is further preferably so acted upon by the actuating mechanism for the record changer as to be movable out of th way of the records being dropped to the turntable during the record changing operation and then movable back to its normal supporting position under but spaced from the lowermost record of the stack after the record changing cycle has been completed, the loading support, in this latter position, which is its normal position, ensuring security to the stack of records above the turntable should the stack aligning member become in,- operative for any reason or should the changer be subjected to a shock sufficient in intensity to cause the stack to tilt irrespective of the action of the stack aligning member.

Because the stack, when in its normal position, does not contact the loading support, the functioning of the record changer is improved when compared with conventional apparatus. The lowermost record of the stack, during a record changing sequence, slides only with respect to the record thereabove. In conventional apparatus it must also slide with respect to its periph eral support. In addition, in conventional apparatus, when the lowermost record drops, the remainder of the stack also drops and tends to strike the peripheral support with some force, the point of contact being at the edge of the record, and it often happens that the edges will chip after repeated impacts. When such chipping occurs, not only is a part of the reproduced intelligence on the record often lost, but the record is rendered unsuitable for use with still other types of automatic record changers in which plates are interposed between the edges of the records in the stack during the record changing cycle. The impact of the fall also tends to develop cracks in the record. By eliminating the peripheral record supports of the prior art structures, my record changer eliminates these undesirable features and, hence, functions more efficiently than its predecessors.

A record changer of the type under discussion is particularly adapted for playing a stack of records of varying sizes. When such a mixed stack is employed, means must be provided for depositing the tone arm of the reproducer at an initial position corresponding to the size of the last record dropped onto the turntable. It has long been proposed to utilize a tripping finger which will be tripped by the large size records and not tripped by the small size records to actuate mechanism which controls the point at which the tone arm is deposited. In one embodiment of my construction the function of this tripping finger is performed by the loading support itself, thus materially simplifying the mechanism necessary for providing a record changer capable of automatically changing a stack of records of mixed sizes. In another embodiment of my invention a separate tripping finger is employed which is mounted in close physical and functional relationship to the loading support.

The stack aligning member which engages the top surface of the record stack and holds that stack in position at predetermined inclination, must extend over the turntable in order to accomplish this result. When the last record of the stack has been reproduced and it is desired to remove the stack from the turntable along the spindle, it is necessary that this stack aligning member be moved away from the turntable. In my construction this is accomplished automatically, the stack aligning member being so constructed and mounted that as soon as the last record has been dropped to the turntable, the stack aligning member will move to one side of the turntable so as to permit free access to the stack of records thereon. In a preferred embodiment this same automatic movement of the record levelling member will actuate additional mechanism effective, for example, to stop the record player after the last record has been reproduced or to otherwise condition the record player in response to the fact that there are no more records held on the spindle above the turntable.

The primary object of the present invention is to devise a simplified automatic record changer of improved appearance, of inexpensive construction, and with more desirable playing characteristics.

Another object of the present invention is to devise a record changer in which records aremaintained on a spindle above a turntable without any peripheral support therefor, a stack aligning member engageable with the top surface of the records being effective to hold them in secure position on the spindle ready to be dropped one at a time to the turntable.

Yet another object is to provide, with such a record changer, a loading support cooperable with the record stack while it is being placed in position on the spindle, but not engageable therewith while the records are in position engaged by the stack aligning member and ready to be dropped to the turntable. A subsidiary object is to provide such a loading support so constructed as to offer no impediment to the free lifting of the records from the turntable after they have been reproduced.

A further object of the present invention is to provide such a loading support which is automatically movable between its record changing position, in which it will engage the lowermost record of the stack until that record is in turn acted upon by the stack aligning member, and a record dropping position in which the loading support is moved away from its position between the turntable and the stack so that the records may freely fall to the turntable.

An additional object of the present invention is to devise such a loading support which, when a stack of records of mixed sizes is to be reproduced, will cooperate with records of the larger size so as to condition the record changer properly to reproduce such records.

A still further object is to devise a stack aligning member which is engageable with the top surface of the uppermost record of the stack above the turntable so as to hold that stack in secure and aligned position at predetermined inclination, the stack aligning member being automatically movable to a position outside the turntable when the last record has been dropped to the turntable in order that said member provides no impediment to the free removal of records from the turntable after they have been reproduced. A subsidiary object is to employ the movement of the stack aligning member to its position outside the turntable to cause the record changer to respond in appropriate manner to the fact that no more records remain to be reproduced.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing objects and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to an automatic record changer as defined in the appended claims and as described in this specification, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a three-quarter perspective view taken from above of one embodiment of the present invention with no records thereupon;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view showing the relative position of the various elements of the record changer as records are being loaded onto the spindle above the turntable and before the stack aligning mechanism is engaged therewith, the records being shown in cross-section;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the position of the various elements during reproduction of a record;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the relative position of the elements at one instant of a record changing cycle;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the position of the elements after all the records have been reproduced;

Fig. 6 is a side view on an enlarged scale of the mounting for the stack aligning member;

Fig. 7 is a schematic view taken from below showing the manner in which movement of the stack aligning member to its position outside the turntable conditions the operation of the record changer;

Fig. ,3 is a side cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 6 showing the internal construction of the mount for the stack aligning member;

Fig. 9 is a schematic view taken from below showing the linkage controlling the position of c eaners the-loading support, that linkage being shown its normal position when record changing is not taking place;

.Fig. 1071s a side elevational view, partially in cross-section, taken along the line is -it of 9, showing the position of the loading support corresponding to Fig. 9;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 10 but showing the spring active on the loading support;

Fig. 11 is a viewsimilar to Fig.9 but showing the position the various parts assume during a record changin sequence;

Fig. 12 is a View similar to Fig. 10 but taken along the line l2l2 of Fig. 11 and corresponding to the position of the elements in Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a detail side view of the mounting of the loading support showing that support in its normal horizontal position;

Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig. 13 but showing the support in the upwardly inclined position which it will assume as records are lifted from the turntable;

Fig. 15 is a side elevational view showing another embodiment of the loading support;

Fig. 16 is a schematic view of the linkage associated with the loading support of Fig. 15;

Fig. 17 is a side elevational view of the loading support of Fig. 15 and the mounting therefor taken from the right-hand side of 15;

Fig. 18 is a side elevational view of the record changer showing the positioning of the control cam and associated control mechanism; and Fig. 19 is a bottom view of the record changer corresponding to Fig. 8.

The record changer of the present invention is here illustrated in detail only with regard to the non-conventional and inventive features thereof. The changer comprises a base plate 2 on which a turntable t is rotatably mounted, the a turntable being driven by means of a motor (not shown) through a conventional rim drive (also not shown). A spindle t is centrally mounted with respect to the turntable l, the turntable rotating thereabout, the spindle having an offset upper portion a and a rotatable button iii immediately below the offset portion '8, the button being rotatable between the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the records i2 resting thereupon with their central apertures engaged by the upper portion 3 of the spindle i, and the position shown in Fig. l, in which the button ii! is moved concentric with the central apertures of the stack of records it, thus permitting the stack of rec ords to drop slightly, the central aperture of the lowermost record 22 of the stack fitting over the button Hi. When the button iii is moved back to its position concentric with the lower portion of the spindle 6, the lowermost record it of the stack will he slid laterally with respect to the remainder of the records l2 in the stack until its central aperture is coincident with the lower portion of the spindle 6, after which the rec- 0rd will fall to the turntable by its own weight. The mechanism for rotating the button iii .is conventional and will not be further discussed in this application.

The record changer is also provided with .a tone arm l4! which (see '18.) .is mounted on shaft it which passes downwardly through the base plate 2 and is rotatably received withinyoke I ii, the yoke in turn being pivotally mounted between ears 2t secured to the underside of the base plate 2, by reason of which the stylus scarrying end 22 of the tonearm is swing-able toward .andaway irom the spindle 6 and 11s mtable above the turntable 4 :and is :rlepositable downwardly whereupon or upon "whatever record 12 may be thereon. .Iheinecessary :motion of the tone-arm M is controlled by :a. three-dimensional cam .24 :rotatably mounted below the base plate 2 by :means of bracket 415 .and icooperable with La cam sfOllOWGl 2.5 which is secured to sweep arm 28, thBZ'SWEBP :arm 28 being connected to the yoke 18 and-shaft 16 so asto move the :tone :arm in appropriate manner. When the control cam 24:15 caused to rotate order to iperciorm a record changing sequence, this rotation being started by any appropriate tripping'meohanism actuated by the 'tone arm ill, cam follower :26 is first lifted and moved outwardly, thus lifting the tone arm l4 above therecord reproduction of which has just been completed and swinging it outwardly beyond the turntable 4 and "the periphery of that record. The cam follower 26 next moveszinto came groove to in this outward position until it comes to track switch r 32 which .is normally in position such that thecam follower 26 will move into the inner groove 34 but which is movable, by mechanism hereinafter to be discussed, to block the groove '34 and cause the cam follower 2b to move into outer groove 36. When the cam follower moves in the groove 34, it comes to a second track switch 38 normally positioned to guide the cam follower 26 into an inner downwardly inclined groove 40 but which is movable, by mechanism herein after to be described, to guide the cam follower 26 into the outer downwardly inclined groove 42. .Under normal circumstances the cam follower 2.5 will be guided into the inner roove 40, thus swinging the tone arm is inwardly over the records on the turntable to a position corresponding to the inner groove of, for example, a ,teninch record. When the cam follower comes to the downwardly inclined portion of the groove 48, the tone arm is deposited on the record and reproduction commences. This three-dimensional cam 25 will be recognizedasene which is relatively conventional in this held. The cam 24 may be provided with a sector-gear section 4 3 which is employed to rotate the button iii, but any other means for rotating the button is may be employed.

The stack aligning member generally designated di comprises an arm '50 mounted on shaft c2 and provided with a manipulating handle 54. The shaft is in turn mounted in :sleeve 56 so as to be rotatable therein and at the same time axially movable therethrough. The :sleeve is provided with upper and lower bearing portions 53 for guiding the shaft 52 and with an internally cutout portion til in which spring 62 is compressed, thespring being activeupon pin (it projecting out from the shaft 52. The end of the pin til is in turn receivable in an internal cam slot (see Fig. 8) having a lower narrow portion 56 within which the pin 64 cannot move from side to side and an upper wide portion 63 in which the pin 64 can move laterally, the cam portions 86 and 5.8 being connected by means of curved surface ill. Ehe spring 62 constantly tends to urge the shaft 35.2, and hence the stack aligning arm 5E1, downwardly, but when theshaft 52 moves downwardly within the sleeve 55, the pin .84 secured thereto forced into the lower narrow portion to of the internal cam'slot and, hence, the shaft 5?. is caused .to take up a fixed rotative position relative to the sleeve .56, in which position the arm at is swung outwardly beyond the turntable it. However, when the shaft 52 islifted so as to move axially upwardly in the sleeve 62, the pin 64 moves into the upper wide cam portion 68 and, hence, the shaft 52 may be rotated within limits in the sleeve 56, thus permitting it to take up a second rotative postion in which the arm 50 may be disposed over the turntable and, hence, may be engaged with the top surface of the uppermost record l2 of the stack above the turntable. In order to assist in this engagement, the arm 50 may be provided with a notch 12 adapted to fit around the upper portion 8 of the spindle (see Figs. 1 and 7).

When records are preliminarily loaded upon the upper portion 8 of the spindle, the absence of any peripheral support for said records would render them unstable. Hence, the loading support it is provided which normally assumes a record supporting position beneath the periphery of the lowermost record l2 of the stack but below the point on the spindle 6 on which the stack is supported. Consequently, when the records are loaded onto the top portion 6 of the spindle as illustrated in Fig. 2, the records are inclined or tilted away from their normal stack-aligningmember-held position so that their edges are supported by the loading support '14. After the desired number of records i2 have been placed in the stack, the handle 54 of the stack aligning member 48 is grasped and lifted, thus lifting the stack aligning arm 58 and causing the shaft 52 to slide axially upwardly through the sleeve 58. When the stack aligning arm 58 has been lifted to a position above the uppermost record if? of the stack. the handle 54 is twisted, causing the shaft 52 to rotate, this rotation being permitted because by this time the pin 64 is in the upper wide portion 68 of the cam slot in the sleeve until the upper portion 8 of the spindle has been received within the slot 12. The handle 5-; is then lowered until the arm 53 engages the top surface of the uppermost record l2 in the stack, the spring 62 pulling the arm 58 onto the uppermost record and, therefore, causing the record stack to assume its normal position and thus removing the periphery of the lowermost record from the loading support M (see Fig. 3).

In order for the record changing cycle to take place, that is to say, in order for a record to drop from the stack to the turntable, it is necessary that the loading support M be moved outwardly in order not to interfere with the free dropping of the record i2. However, for example, the stack aligning member 48 should become inoperative, the records might become disarranged on the spindle and jam the recording apparatus or cause damage to the records. Also, whenever the stack aligning member 48 is removed from its engagement with the stack, it is usually desired that the records be automatically supported, thus preventing damage to the records because of inadvertence on the part of the operator. Accordingly, the loading support 14 is so controllably moved as to normally retain its record supporting position under the lowermost record of the stack, spaced vertically therefrom when said record is held in normal position on the spindle 6 above the turntable 4, and adapted to be engaged by and support said lowermost record 12 and'the stack of records thereabove when said stack i tilted from its normal position, but to be movable during a record changing cycle to a record changing position spaced outwardly from the spindle 6 with respect to its record changing position so that records are permitted to drop to the turntable, and then to be movable back to its record supporting position after the record has already fallen to the turntable. To this end (see Figs. 9-12), the loading support 14 is mounted on arm 76 pivotally mounted at E8 on a bracket 36 depending from the base plate 2. A cam 82 is mounted below the base plate 2 so as to be rotated during the record changing sequence, the cam being here shown in the form of a hub on the three-dimensional control cam 26 (see Fig. 18). When the control cam 24 is in the position it assumes during reproduction of a record, the cam 82 engages spring arm 84 which is in turn secured to lever 36 pivotally mounted at 88 on the bracket 36, the lever 86 having a preferably resilient extension 95 secured thereto which presses against the arm I6 and moves it to its forward position shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 10, at which time the loading support 14 is placed in its record supporting position. The cam 62 is preferably provided with a notch 92 for fixing thet position of the arm 84, and the arm 8-3 is acted upon by spring 9%, one end of which is anchored at 96 to the base plate 2 so as always to be urged toward the cam 82.

When the record changing sequence is initiated, the control cam 24 and the eccentric cam 82 both rotate in a counter-oloclzvvise direction as viewed in Figs. 9 and ll, rotation of the cam 82 permitting the arm it to move inwardly under the action of the spring 9 2 and thus causing the lever 36 to pivot coLmter-clockwise so that its extension moves away from the arm 16. A spring 98 is active upon the arm '56 so as to cause it to pivot in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Figs. 19 and 12, this motion of the cam 16 continuing until it comes into contact with the hooked portion 560 of an arm 02 pivotally mounted at Edd beneath the base plate 2 and urged into a limiting pivoted position by means of spring 58%, one end of which is anchored at [$38 to the base plate. The permitted motion of the lever 86 is such that the extension 953 is moved away from the arm l6 after the pivotal motion of the arm it is stopped by its engagement with the curved portion Hill of the arm I62. This position is illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12. When the arm T6 is in this position, the loading support M has been moved away from the spindle 6 to its record changing position, thus permitting records to fall from the stack to the turntable.

When, as here illustrated, the stack is composed of records of mixed sizes-for example, records having ten inch and twelve inch diameters-the loading support 74 may itself function as a feeler responsive to the size of the record being dropped onto the turntable so as to condition the record changing apparatus, and in particular the three-dimensional control cam 24, to deposit the tone arm Hi at the correct initial point. To this end, the loading support 14 is provided with a cam surface Hi] which, when the loading support it is in its record changing position (see Fig. 12), is moved outwardly from the spindle 8 a distance sufficient for records of the smaller size to drop to the turntable quite freely, whereas the periphery of records of the larger size will engage the cam surface H0 and force the loading support 74 backwardly beyond its record changing position. This motion is permitted since the extension of the lever 86 is not in contact with the arm 16 when that arm is in the position corresponding to the record changing position of the loading support 14, the backward motion of the arm 76 being active upon the curved portion I00 of the arm I02 so as to 9 cause that arm to pivot in a clockwise di'remtion,v as viewed in Figs. 9 and 11, against the action of the spring lot. The free end of the arm 1-02 is provided with a preferably resilient finger If 2 which is adapted to engage the second track switch to on the control arm 24 whenever the arm Hill is pivoted in a. clockwise manner as described, but to fail to engage the second track switch 33 unless the arm I02 is pivoted. The action of the Finger it upon the second track switch causes it to assume a position such that the cam follower 26 is guided into the outer downwardly inclined groove :32, thus causing the tone arm It to be deposited at a position corresponding to the initial groove of a larger size record. During each rotation of the control cam 25, some conventional. mechanism (not shown) presets the second traclr switch 38 so as to direct the cam follower into the inner downwardly inclined cam groove to, this done before the second track switch t t approaches the point at which it can be acted upon by the finger Hi. Consequentl whenever a Slim-1161' size record falls to the turntable, the loading support id is not errgaged thereby, the arm M22 is not pivoted, the second tracl: switch remains in its preset position, and the tone arm it is deposited at a posip iding to the initial groove of a smaller record. Whenever a larger size rec-- attend 10 arm 16' so as to act as a positive stop. Whenever records are lifted from the turntable 4, the upper surface of the uppermost record being lifted will engage the undersurface of the support it and will cause that support to pivot counter+ clockwise about the point H4 until its tip has moved outwardly beyond the periphery of the records. This is permitted because the upper portion of the slot Elli appropriately shaped. The upward pivotal motion of the support 74 is limited by engagement between the upper portion of the slot Hi3 and the upper portion of the arm 15.

So long as records remain supported above the turntable d on the spindle 6, the stack aligning member 48 will be retained in an upper position, but as soon as the last record of the stack has dropped to the turntable, the spring 62 will cause the shaft 52 to move downwardly within the sleeve 55, the pin lit thus being guided along the curved surface ill into the narrow lower portion 66 of the internal cam slot so as to cause the record levelling arm 5% to swing out beyond ord drops to the turntable, the loading support it is cainmedbaclnvardly, the arm Hi2 ispivoted, and the finger i?! then moves the second track switch 358 from its preset position to its other position, thus ensuring that the tone arm i l will be deposited at a point corresponding to the initial groove of the larger record.

When the record changing sequence draws toa close-that is to say, when the control cam 24 and the cam 82 approach their initial positionsthe cam til will once again engage the arm 84 and move against the action of the spring 9 thus causing the extension 9i! on the lever 86 to engage the arm l6 and pivot that arm about the point lr so as to move the loading support 14 back to its record supporting position. In Fig. 10 the three positions of the loading support 74 are illustrated, its record supporting position being shown solid lines, its record changing position being shown in broken lines and designated 14%. and the position it assumes beyond its record changing position whenever it is camme'd outwardly a large size record being dropped to the turntable being shown by the broken lines designated M When the loading support M is. in its record upportingposition, as it is at all times except during a part of a record changing cycle, it necessarily extends inwardly toward the spindle 6' beyond the periphery of the records on the turntable. Consequently, it will present some impediment to free removal of the records from the turntable l after the-y have been reproduced. In order toelizninate' any unnecessary manipulation on the part of tie operator, the loading support it is so mounted on the arm Was not to interfere with removal of records from the turntable. As may best be seen from a comparison of Figs 1-3 and'le, it is provided with an internal slot H6 within which the arm it is received, the support it and arm it being pivotally connected at H4.

The upper end of the arm it and the interior portion of the slot I it are so shaped that the loading support it normally assumes the lower position illustrated in Fig. 13 in which the lower portion of. the slot Hi5 engages the edge'of the the turntable. At the same time, the lower tip H8 of the shaft 52 will project downwardly through the bottom of the sleeve 56 and will engage an inclined surface I26 on arm I22 slidably mounted on the underside of the base plate 2 by means of pins i2 5 extending through slots I26 in the arm I22. A spring H8 tends to keep the arm I22 retracted away from the control cam 28', but whenever the shaft 52 moves fully downwardly through the sleeve 56, its tip H8 will act upon the inclined surface 52% so as to move the arm I22 inwardly in opposition to the action of the spring 528. The free end of the arm 122 is by appropriate conventional mechanism (not shown), but whenever it is acted upon by the finger I30, it blocks the inner track 34 and thus guides the cam follower 26 into the outer track 3'6. It will be apparent from the above description that this will occur only after all of the records have been dropped to the turntable. When reproduction of the last record is com--' pleted, a record changing sequence will be initiated, butwhen the first tracr switch 32 passes the finger ltd, it will open the outer track 36 and hence the cam follower 2d will move there-' into, thus retaining the tone arm in its outermost position. The sweep lever 22 (see Figs; 18 and 19) is'provided with an extension [32 which, whenever the cam follower it is outwardly positioned on the cam 2 overlies resilient arm 134 which is pivotally mounted at on switch housing I38, that housing in turn being pivotally mounted below the base plate 2 on pin Mil and urged inwardly by means of spring I42. The outer cam track to is provided with a depressed portion corresponding to the downwardly i'nclined portions of the inner tracks ll and 42. Hence, when the record changing sequence comes to an end and the cam follower it is in the outer track 36, as will be the case when the finger E30 has appropriately set the first track switch 32, the sweep lever 28 will move downwardly and its extension E32 will depress'the arm 53d, that arm in turn depressing contact hi l, opening the switch in the housing 533, and tic-energizing the record changer motor. During a record changing cycle, when records remain in suspended position above the turntable, the tip II8 of the shaft 52 will not engage with the downwardly inclined surface I20 of the arm I22, and hence the first track switch 32 will guide the cam follower 26 inwardly a sufficient distance for the extension I32 on the sweep lever 28 to clear the arm I34 before the sweep lever 28 is permitted to drop. Hence, during such record changing sequences, the switch in the housing I38 remains closed and the turntable continues to rotate.

Record changing may be reinstated by pressing the button I46, that button depressing pin I48 active against inclined surface I50 on arm I52, the arm in turn being slidably mounted beneath the base plate 2 by means of pins I54 receivable through slots I56. A spring I58 tends to keep the arm I52 in inner position, as shown in Fig. 19, the action of the pin I48 on the inclined surface I50 moving the arm I52 outwardly against the action of the spring I58. The arm is provided with an angular extension I60 which bears against a lug I6I on the switch housing I38 and causes that housing to pivot in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 19, whenever the button I46 is depressed. Such motion of the switch housing I38 moves the arm I34 out from under the extension I32 of the sweep lever 28, thus permitting the lever 134 to move upwardly, closing the switch in the housing I38, and starting the record changer motor. A hooked extension I62 on the arm I52 may be employed for manually tripping the mechanism which initiates a record changing sequence.

In the embodiment disclosed in Figs. 15 through 1'1, the loading support is in the form of a flat plate 14 which is rotatable between its record supporting position illustrated by the broken lines 14 in Fig. 16 and its record changing position illustrated by the broken lines 14 in Fig. 16. In this embodiment, the arm 84' which engages the eccentric cam 82' which, as before, is preferably in the form of a hub on the control cam 24, is pivotally mounted on the underside of the base plate 2 at I64 and is in turn connected to crank I66 which rotates shaft I68 which passes up through passage I in sleeve I12 projecting upwardly from the base plate 2. The upper portion vof the shaft I68 is secured to cap I14 which is provided with laterally spaced supporting members I16 each having projecting shelves I18 on which the loading support 14' is adapted to rest, a pin I80 passing through the projecting portions I16 and an upwardly curled portion I82 of the loading support 14' so that the loading support 14' is pivotal between a normal horizontal position supported on the shelves I18, as illustrated by solid lines in Fig. 15, and an upwardly inclined portion, as illustrated by broken lines in Fig. 15, the loading support 14 being moved into its latter position by engagement with records being removed from the turntable.

When the loading shelf 14 of the embodiments of Figs. through 1'1 is moved to its record changing position, it is completely free of the turntable and, hence, it cannot itself function as a feeler controlled by the size of the record being dropped. Consequently, the sleeve I12 is provided with a slot I83 in which feeler I84 is pivotally mounted, the feeler normally assuming a horizontal position as indicated by the solid lines in Fig. 15, but being movable to a downwardly inclined position illustrated by the broken lines in Fig. 15 and indicated b broken lines in Fig. 15 whenever it is engaged by a large size record. A pin I86 is movably mounted within vertical aperture I88 in the sleeve I12 and the lower portion of that pin I86 engages with inclined surface I 89 on arm I90 slidably secured below the base plate 2 by means of pins I92 and slots I94. A spring I96 tends to keep the arm I90 in forward position, in which position the freeend I 98 of the arm I90 will clear the second track switch 88 of the control cam 24. However, whenever the feeler I84 is depressed, the arm I90 will be moved to the left, as viewed in Figs. 15 and 16, and, consequently, its free end I98 will engage with the second track switch 38' and position it so that the tone arm I4 will be deposited in a position corresponding to the initial groove of the larger size record.

The functioning and operation of my new record changer will in the main be fully apparent from the above. When records are to be loaded thereon, the stack aligning member 48 is automatically in an out-ofthe-way position and the loading support 1 5 is automatically in its record changing position. The records are loaded onto the spindle in a position slightly inclined with respect to their normal position so as to be supported by the loading support 14. When the desired number of records have been loaded onto the spindle, the stack aligning member is lifted and moved inwardly over the turntable so as to engage the upper surface of the uppermost rec- 0rd of the stack, the stack aligning member then causing the records to assume their normal position at predetermined inclination out of engagement with the loading support 14, in which position they are retained during the entire record changing operation. As a result, the edges of the records are not subjected to any possibly damaging influences during the operation of the record changer and the records are dropped one by one to the turntable in a simple and efiicient manner. Each time a record is to be dropped, and at an appropriate point in the record changing cycle, the loading support 14 is moved from its record supporting position to its record changing position in which it either permits a record to drop completely freely to the turntable 4, as is the case when records of small size are dropped, or in which it is engaged by records of larger size and cammed outwardly beyond ts record changing position, thus actuating additional mechanism which so conditions the record changing apparatus as to deposit the tone arm in a position appropriate to the size of the record which has dropped. After the last record has fallen to the turntable, the stack aligning member 48 is automatically moved to a position outside the turntable so that it does not interfere with removal of records therefrom. At the same time, the motion of the stack aligning member 48 to said out-of-the-way position actuates additional mechanism which so conditions the record changing apparatus that when the last record of the stack has been reproduced the record changer will automatically turn itself oil The loading support 14 is moved back to record supporting position at the end of each record changing cycle and, thus, is always in operative position when needed, as when, for example, the stack allgning member is manually removed from position in engagement with the topmost record of. the stack in order to remove records from the stack or add records thereto. In its record sup- 13 porting position, the loadin support M is dis? Pa tel inwardlybeyond the periphery of the rec? or s b in played, but, nevertheless, because of its manner of mounting it presents no real imse imen to records which are being removed from the turntable. As, a result, the record ange f 7 6 present invention provides maxi.- more efl cien r. auto atic op ration, and a max: imum of protection to the records, permits the reproducing oi records of different sizes, and ener e i all shut its lf n wh n th last r ord has been playedfall with a minimum of mo i par and e tr me s mp ici y o ppeari c? nd incrr ns veaess of structure.

I ll b ohe ent at a y detailed changes may be, m d l fil'u "e h e disclosed W th u fi l ill 1 th p rit i the inven= an. a d fin in t il, :1,

I c im:

1, An automatic record changer comprising a frame, a turntable, a spindle centrally mounted h respect o a d urnta l ha n shou der, a d d r to en a e a a k f e o s t i "a er ure an ld t on ts. s oulder l a a d l l ab lir d o pi m an c i pon 85151 were for caus m to d op on by o to the turntable, a stack aligning member enaee b wi e o s r e of t e uppe st record of said stack so as to keep said records at predetermined inclination as they are held on the shoulder of said spindle, the lower surface of the lowermost record of said stack when at said predetermined inclination being free and unsupportedexoept at said spindle shoulder, a loading support movable between a record supporting and a record changing position, said support in sa1d record sup porting position being under the lowermost, record of said stack, spaced vertically therefrom when aid record is held in predetermined inclination on said spindle above said turntable and adapted to be engaged by and support said lowermost record when said stack is tilted from predetermined inclination on said spindle, said support in said record changing position being spaced outwardly from said spindle with respect to, said record supporting position so that records are permitted to dro to said turntable, and actuating mechanism opcratively connected to said dropping means and said loading support and effective to cause said support to move from 113$ record supporting position to its record changing position when said dropping means is actuated to, cause a record to drop from its spindle-held position to said turntable and to move back to, its record supporting position after said record has ro pe to the turntable.

21' An automatic record changer comprising a framefa turntable, a spindle centrally mounted with respect to said turntable, having a shoulder, ahd adapted to engage a stack of records at their central apertures and hold them on its shoulder above said turntable, dropping means only on said spindle active on said records for causing themtofdrop one by one to the turntable, a stack aligning member engageable with the top surface of the uppermost record of said stack so as to keep said recordslat predetermined inclination as they held on the shoulder of said spindle, the lower suriace oi the lowermost record of said stack when at said predetermined inclination being free and unsupported egrceot at sai pinQ1e shoulder, atlases s pport mova e ween a re o d sm-v pc' t fi'ar 'a r han in os ion amsonport. in said record supporting position being are e; owerm st re of. ai s eel- .v sp ced declaresve tically thereirom when said record is held predetermined inclination on said spindle above said turntable and adapted to be engaged by said lowermost record when said stack is tilted from predetermined inclination on said spindle, said support in said record changing position being spaced outwardly from said spindle with respect to said record supporting position so that records are permitted to drop to said turntable, and an actuating mechanism operatively connected to aid dropping means and said loading Support and effective to cause said support tov move from it record supporting position to its record chang-v in position when said droppin means is actuated to cause a record to drop from its spindle-held po ition o said turntable a d to more. back to its eco d sensorine position after sa d record has dropped to the turntable.

3. In e automatic record changer of claim 1, a l ent extendin upw dly from said frame e on the er p e y or sai records, Said loadi Supp rt e tendin nward y f o d l m nt. and b ng 11? 'cslatel m un ed ereon so as o ormally assume 0 7. 1 su p rt position inside the p riphe y f said records but to be mov -v ab a by enga em nt. h a rec rd. b n lifte m, a d tu nt b e al ne said spind e, to a p s io b yo d e er ph r of, said e ord so tha sold o d ay be f e y l fted from a spindl In th t ma r cord han e o c aim 1 n e eme extending u w rdly fr m id frame beyond the periphery of said records, said loading p r end nward om a d e men and being pivotally mounted thereon so as to normally assume a substantially horizontal record su po n osit on i side he p phe of sa d records but to be movable, by engagement with a record being lifted from said turntable along said spindle, to a substantially vertical position beyond the periphery of said record so that said record may be freely lifted from said spindle.

5 In the automatic record changer of claim 1, an element extending upwardly from said frame beyond the periphery of said records and movable between inner and outer positions, said loading support being secured to and extending inwardly from said element, said support being in record supporting position when said element is moved to its inner position and being in record changing position when said element is moved to its outer position, sa d actuating mechanism being operatively c nnected to said element to cause it to move from its inner to its outer position and back again in timed relation to the movement of said o in me ns.

In the automqtiov record changer of claim 1, an element extending upwardly from said frame beyond the periphery of said records and movable between inner and outer positions. said loading support being secured to and extending inwardly from said element, said support being in record supporting position when said element is moved. to its inner position and being in record changing position when said element is moved to its outer position, said suppo t bein pivotaliy mounted on said element so, as to normally assume a substantially horizontal record support l s position t t e. movabl y a m n with a record being lifted from said turntable along said spindle, to a substantially vertical pon beyond the periphery of said record while aid e ments in it nner s t on. so ha sa d record may be freely lifted from said spindle,

said ctuating e n Qper ively con nected to saide e em. to sens it to..zno rom its inner to its outer position and back again in timed relation to the movement of said dropping means.

'7. In the automatic record changer of claim 1, an element extending upwardly from said frame beyond the periphery of said records and being mounted to pivot about a substantially vertical axis between first and second positions, said loading support being secured to and extending inwardly from said element so as to be in record supporting position when said element is in its first position and to be in record changing position when said element is in its second position, said actuating mechanism being operatively connected to said element to cause it to move from its first to its second position and back again in timed relation to the movement of said dropping means.

8. In the automatic record changer of claim 1, an element extending upwardly from said frame beyond the periphery of said records and being mounted to pivot about a substantially vertical axis between first and second positions, said loading support being secured to and extending inwardly from said element so as to be in record supporting position when said element is in its first position and to be in record changing position when said element is in its second position, said support being pivotally mounted on said element so as to normally assume a substantially horizontal record supporting position but to be movable, by engagement with a record being lifted from said turntable along said spindle, while said element is in its first position, to a substantially vertical position beyond the periphery of said record so that said record may be freely lifted from said spindle, said actuating mechanism being operatively connected to said element to cause it to move from its first to its second position and bacl: again in timed relation to the movement of said dropping means.

9. An automatic record changer comprising a frame, a turntable, a spindle centrally mounted with respect to said turntable and adapted to engage a stack of records of smaller and larger sizes at their central apertures and hold them above said turntable, dropping means active upon said records for causing them to drop one by one to the turntable, a stack aligning member engageable with the top surface of the uppermost record of said stack so as to keep said records in predetermined inclination as they are held on said spindle, a loading support having a cam surface movable between a record supporting and a record changing position, said support in said record supporting position being under the lowermost record of said stack even when said record is of the smaller size, spaced vertically therefrom when said record is held in predetermined inclination on said spindle above said turntable and adapted to be engaged by and support said lowermost record when said stack is tilted from predetermined inclination on said spindle, said support in said record changing position being spaced outwardly from said spindle a distance such that records of said smaller size will drop freely to said turntable but records of said larger size will engage with said cam surface so as to force said support outwardly beyond said record changing position as said records of larger size fall to the turntable, an actuating mechaniism operatively comiected to said dropping means and said loading support eifective to cause said support to move from its record supporting position to its record changing position when said dropping means is actuated to cause a record to drop from its spindle-held position to said turntable and to move back to its record supporting position after said record has dropped to the turntable, and additional mechanism operatively connected to said support and responsive to the movement of said support outwardly beyond its record changing position for controlling said actuating mechanism.

10. An automatic record changer comprising a frame, a turntable, a spindle centrally mounted with respect to said turntable and adapted to engage a stack of records of smaller and larger sizes at their central apertures and hold them above said turntable, dropping means only on said spindle active upon said records for causing them to drop one by one to the turntable, a stack aligning member engageable with the top surface of the uppermost record of said stack so as to keep said records in predetermined inclination as they are held on said spindle, a loading support having a cam surface movable between a record supporting and a record changing position, said support in said record supporting position being under the lowermost record of said stack even when said record is of the smaller size, spaced vertically therefrom when said record is held in predetermined inclination on said spindle above said turntable and adapted to be engaged by and support said lowermost record when said stack is tilted from predetermined inclination on said spindle, said support in said record changing position being spaced outwardly from said position when said dropping means is actuated to cause a record to drop from its spindle-held position to said turntable and to move back to its record supporting position after said record has dropped to the turntable, and additional mechanism operatively connected to said support and responsive to the movement of said support outwardly beyond its record changing position for controlling said actuating mechanism.

11. In the automatic record changer of claim 9, an element extending upwardly from said frame beyond the periphery of said records operatively connected to said actuating mechanism so as to be caused to move between inner and outer positions, said loading support being secured to and extending inwardl from said element, said support being in record supporting position when said element is moved to its inner position and being in record changing position, its cam surface being in position to be engaged by said larger size records as they drop from said spindle to said turntable, when said element is substantially horizontal record supporting position but to be movable, by engagement with a.

17 record being lifted from said turntable along said spindle, when said element is in its inner position, to a substantially vertical position beyond the periphery of said record so that said record may be freely lifted from said spindle.

13. In an automatic record changer comprising a frame, a turntable, and a spindle centrally mounted with respect to said turntable and adapted to engage a stack of records at their central apertures and hold them above said turntable; a stack aligning member adapted to keep said records in predetermined inclination as they are held on said spindle above said turntable, said member comprising a vertically movable arm engageable with the top surface of the uppermost record of said stack, a resilient member operatively connected to said arm so as to move it downwardly into engagement with said uppermost record, and an operative connection between said arm and said frame active on said arm to move it outside of said turntable when said arm has moved downwardly a predetermined distance.

14. In an automatic record changer comprising a frame, a turntable, and a spindle centrally mounted with respect to said turntable and adapted to engage a stack of records at their central apertures and hold them above said turntable; a stack aligning member adapted to keep said records in predetermined inclination as they are held on said spindle above said turntable, said member comprising an arm engageable with the top surface of the uppermost record of said stack, a shaft secured to said arm, a sleeve on said frame outside the periphery of said turntable in which said shaft is rotatable and axially movable between upper and lower positions,

a cam track within said sleeve, and a cam follower on said shaft, and movable in said cam track said cam track having a narrow lower portion laterally confining said cam follower to one angular position so as to cause said shaft to assume one rotative posiiton with said arm outside of said turntable when said shaft is in its lower axial position, said cam track having a wider upper portion permitting said cam follower a different angular position so as to permit said shaft to assume another rotative position with said arm over said turntable when said shaft is in its upper axial position.

15. The automatic record changer of claim 1 in which the loading support is positioned on the frame on the opposite side of said spindle from said shoulder.

16. The automatic record changer of claim 2 in which the loading support is positioned on the frame on the opposite side of said spindle from said shoulder.

BERNE N. FISHER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,390,404 Wahlberg Sept. 13, 1921 2,237,340 Downs Apr. 8, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 382,276 Great Britain Oct. 17, 1932 235,600 Switzerland June 1, 1945 114,287 Sweden June 19, 1945 591,757 Great Britain Aug. 27, 1947 

